Jacob, the girls, and Cogman entered the palace. Only then did they truly grasp its scale. They spent a full hour exploring—and barely scratched the surface. Streets turned into halls, halls into plazas, and plazas into entire neighborhoods filled with gardens, training courts, libraries, sanctuaries, and empty homes waiting for life.
Jacob, as the owner of the palace, knew its layout. He led them to the residential wing and into a bedroom that took their breath away. The ceiling was painted with drifting constellations that moved slowly as if alive. A massive bed carved from white stone and gold sat at the center, surrounded by flowing curtains of enchanted silk that responded to mood and warmth. Wide balconies opened to the island's forests and the distant lake far below, letting daylight and magical energy spill inside.
"What a beautiful bedroom." Lydia murmured, her voice filled with awe.
"Indeed." Allison agreed. "Look at that view. It's gorgeous."
After that, they moved to one of the living rooms—an elegant space designed for both comfort and grandeur. The couches formed a beautiful gathering place, while the fireplace burned with a soft, smokeless flame. Shelves lined with books gave the room a lived-in warmth, and enormous windows opened to sweeping views of the palace gardens and the distant hills.
They sat down, sinking into the luxurious cushions.
"This place is so beautiful." Lydia said, shaking her head slightly. "I can't find the right words to describe it."
"It's like a palace from a fantasy novel." Allison said, her eyes sparkling. "I love it."
Malia smiled. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind living here for the rest of my life without ever going back to the outside world."
"I'm surprised, too." Jacob admitted. "The palace isn't just huge—it's like a small city. It would take days to truly know it all."
Allison nodded, then narrowed her eyes at Jacob. "Just how many wives are you planning to have, you pervert? I mean, thousands of people could live here!"
"Hey!" Jacob protested. "It's not like I was the one who built it. I didn't even know about this place until today. I'm just as surprised as you girls. Besides, it's not like only my wives can live here. We'll have children in the future, and they'll have children, too. So the bigger the place, the better. Don't you think?"
"Kids?" Allison repeated. "I suppose you're right. But we're still too young for that."
Jacob, unable to help himself, blurted out. "Well, maybe you are young. But what if I got me an older woman? She might want kids…"
Seeing both Allison and Lydia glaring at him, Jacob's words died in his throat. He wisely shut his mouth, scooted closer to Malia, and hugged her like a shield.
Lydia suddenly stood up in a panic. "Guys! We've been here too long. I forgot about the formal!"
"Who cares about the stupid formal?" Jacob grumbled.
Lydia glared at him again. "I do! We probably don't have time to change and put on our makeup now!"
"Relax." Jacob said. "There's a time dilation in this space. Five hours here is equal to only one hour outside."
Allison and Lydia spoke in unison. "Really?"
Lydia pulled out her phone and checked the time, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Then shouldn't the time on my phone be slowed down? It shows we've been here for more than an hour. The last time I checked was before Allison told us to gather in the living room outside this place, and it was 3:30 p.m. Now it's 4:45."
Cogman said. "I believe your phone would run normally from your perspective, Lady Lydia. Seconds feel like seconds; minutes feel like minutes. If you spend five hours inside, your phone will show that full five hours passing. Nothing feels amiss while you are in here. However, when you leave, your phone will be four hours behind the outside clocks. To everyone outside, only one hour will have passed, but your device recorded five." He paused. "Though, there is something that has been perplexing me for a while now."
"What is it?" Jacob asked.
"I can still connect to the network outside this space." Cogman stated, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Can you explain why, sir? It should be impossible."
"Let me think." Jacob said. He focused internally. 'System, care to explain why Cogman is still connected to the outside network?'
A translucent system window appeared before his eyes.
[It is the entry-pass mark you granted to Cogman to access the Harem Space, Host. You may place a similar mark on your phone, and it will connect to the outside network and receive calls.]
"I think it's the mark I gave you to enter and exit this space." Jacob explained aloud. "Let me try it on my phone."
He took out his phone, focused on granting it the same entry-pass mark, and a soft light emanated from his palm. A faint dragon head mark shimmered briefly on the back of the phone before fading. The device immediately reconnected to the cellular network.
"It worked." Jacob said, grinning. "Girls, give me your phones."
He repeated the process with Allison's, Lydia's, and Malia's phones. Once done, he turned back to Cogman. "Cogman, can you create an app that tells us the exact time outside while we're in here? Also, one that tracks how much time we've spent inside compared to the real world."
Cogman said. "It is feasible, sir. I can create it and install it on your phones. It will function flawlessly regardless of dimensional transitions."
Jacob blinked. "How?"
Cogman replied smoothly, a hint of pride in his voice. "Creating the app would involve establishing temporal anchors, accounting for dilation constants, and implementing multi-layered chronal synchronization algorithms."
Jacob waved a hand dismissively. "Okay, my head already hurts. Forget I asked. I wouldn't understand even if you told me."
Cogman smirked and gave a slight bow. "An admirable level of self-awareness, sir. I shall have it ready shortly."
Jacob shrugged, already moving on to the next idea. "Also, buy a big TV and put it in this living room. Find a room and turn it into a home cinema, and turn another room into a gaming room."
Cogman nodded, then added. "We will require a cold storage room here as well."
"No need." Jacob said, shaking his head. "The main kitchen and all the other kitchens in this palace have a special food storage room. It's better than any fridge or cold room—it preserves food perfectly, preventing decay no matter how long it stays there." He paused, considering. "But you'll still need a regular fridge and freezer for things like ice cream, ice, and cold drinks. Those special rooms don't actively freeze or chill things; they just maintain the state the food is in when you put it there."
Cogman asked. "And if you place food that is already cold or frozen into those rooms, what will happen? Will it warm and melt?"
"No," Jacob clarified. "It will stay exactly as you left it."
"I see." Cogman replied, satisfied.
"Alright, let's go outside the palace." Jacob said, leading the way.
The group exited the palace, stepping back onto the lush grass. Jacob then retrieved two massive Sker Buffalo carcasses from his pocket dimension, their colossal forms landing on the ground with a heavy thump.
"Cogman, butcher these and put the meat in the storage room." Jacob instructed.
Malia's eyes lit up instantly. "How many of these delicious big cows do you have?"
Jacob said. "Minus these two and the one we're already eating from, I have seven others left."
Lydia and Allison walked slowly around the enormous carcasses.
"Jay," Allison asked, her voice full of curiosity, "what world are these cow monsters from?"
"They're from the world of Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Kong." Jacob explained. "These creatures are considered Titans too. They're called Sker Buffalo."
Lydia asked. "Hey, Jay. Do you think King Ghidorah is related to you?"
Jacob raised a brow, looking at her with amusement. "How do you even know what King Ghidorah is?"
"I watched a few Godzilla movies." Lydia said with a shrug. "I even watched the Godzilla cartoon series when I was about eight. There wasn't much else to watch back then."
"I've seen a few of the movies and the cartoon, too." Allison chimed in.
"Well, to answer your question." Jacob said, turning back to Lydia. "Although King Ghidorah is a dragon, it isn't related to me."
Allison asked. "Who do you think is stronger? You or King Ghidorah?"
Jacob laughed, but it was a laugh without ego. "The me right now is like a bug to King Ghidorah. That thing can destroy a city with a single attack. Its wings can create hurricanes more powerful than humans can even measure. It can drain energy from external power sources or directly from other Titans through its bite to amplify its power. And it can't even be killed with a nuke."
"But you're immune to fire." Allison said. "So you could survive a nuke, right?"
Jacob said. "Even if I'm immune to fire at any temperature, I'm not sure if I'm immune to radiation. And my body couldn't withstand the kinetic force of the blast itself."
Cogman, who had already begun expertly butchering one of the Sker Buffalo with terrifying efficiency, called out without looking up. "He is correct. The kinetic energy of the blast could still disintegrate his body, and the radiation could disrupt him at the atomic level."
Jacob said. "But I will become stronger than King Ghidorah and Godzilla one day. I just hope there aren't any creatures like that in our world. I could escape, but… I hate losing."
Lydia said. "Are you going to become as big as Godzilla and King Ghidorah?"
"Maybe bigger." Jacob said with a confident smirk. "And definitely more handsome. Godzilla looks cool, but not as good as a majestic dragon like me. And unlike Ghidorah, I'm a proper dragon with four limbs. Ghidorah looks weird with only two legs and three heads."
Malia, who had been standing by and listening, finally spoke up. "I don't know what a Godzilla or this King Ghi-do-thing is that you guys are talking about. But if they're as delicious as this buffalo, then we should hunt them."
Lydia stared at her. "We're talking about giant lizards."
"So what?" Malia replied, completely unfazed. "I've eaten lizards before when I was hungry. They didn't taste good, but they were still edible."
Lydia made a face. "Gross. I'm not eating a lizard, or a giant lizard monster like Godzilla."
"Me neither." Allison agreed quickly. "And for Jacob, it might be considered cannibalism if he eat King Ghidorah and Godzilla."
"I'm not eating them either." Jacob said, laughing. "Besides, they're way stronger than us right now. But there are other delicious-looking monsters in their world. Giant crabs, all kinds of huge birds and fish, and probably other kinds of titan cows and titan sheep, too. Too bad they live in a different world. We can't hunt them even if we wanted to."
Malia tilted her head. "Can't you teleport to their world?"
"Not yet." Jacob admitted.
"What a bummer. You suck, Jay." Malia said, a mischievous glint entering her eyes. She nudged Lydia. "Let's boo him, girls!"
Lydia smiled, instantly picking up on the game. She joined Malia, pointing playfully at Jacob. "Boo! Boo, Jay, you suck! You're too weak! You should help me go to the Little Mermaid's world if it really exists!"
Malia nodded vigorously, adding her own complaint. "Boo, boo! You should provide me with all kinds of delicious meat, you creepy pervert!"
Jacob laughed, thoroughly amused. He turned to Allison, who was watching the scene with an amused smile. "Aren't you going to boo me, too?"
Allison's smile widened. "No. Maybe another time."
Pleased, Jacob hugged her and gave her a quick kiss. Then, he reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out a vibrant red scroll. "Since you're such a good girl, I'll give you this."
Allison took the scroll, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "What does it do?"
"It's an ability scroll. Open it and you'll learn it." Jacob explained.
Instantly, Lydia and Malia—who had been booing him moments before—rushed over.
"Where's mine?" Lydia demanded.
"Mine, too!" Malia added.
Jacob feigned innocence. "Weren't you both just booing me? I only had one. Since Allison was the good girl, I gave it to her."
Allison smiled triumphantly. Lydia glared at her, then made a sudden grab for the scroll.
"Hey!" Allison yelped, jumping back out of reach. She quickly opened the scroll. The parchment dissolved into a stream of crimson light that shot forward and vanished between her eyebrows. Her eyes fluttered closed as she absorbed the knowledge.
Lydia turned her glare on Malia. "This is your fault!"
Malia just smirked, ignoring Lydia, and hugged Jacob's arm. "Husband, I'm sorry for booing you. Can you give me what you just gave Allison, too? Or give it to me before Lydia when you get it next time?"
"You bitch!" Lydia hissed, then quickly hugged Jacob's other arm, adopting a sweet, pleading tone. "I'm sorry, too! She was the one who asked me to boo you! And I'm your second wife—you should give me what you gave Allison before Malia."
Jacob couldn't hold back his laughter. "I was just messing with you girls. Here." He reached back into his pocket dimension and retrieved two more identical red scrolls, handing one to Malia and one to Lydia.
Both girls gave him a grateful kiss before eagerly breaking the seals on their scrolls. The parchment dissolved into light, and they closed their eyes to receive the knowledge.
A moment later, Allison's eyes snapped open. She beamed, kissed Jacob deeply, and said. "I'm going to try it out!"
"Be careful." Jacob cautioned. "The more magical energy you channel into it, the more powerful the Firaga spell becomes."
"Firaga? Is that the fire spell's name?" Allison asked.
"Yes," Jacob said, surprised. "Didn't you learn its name when you absorbed the scroll?"
"No," Allison shook her head. "I just gained the ability and learned how to cast it."
"I see."
"Okay, I'm going!" Allison said, her excitement bubbling over. "I don't want to accidentally destroy the garden." She focused for a moment and then teleported away, reappearing in the distance near the rocky foothills and giant boulders behind the palace, a safe distance from anything delicate.
Soon after, Malia and Lydia finished absorbing their scrolls. They each gave Jacob a quick, thankful kiss, and he repeated his warning about controlling the Firaga spell's power.
"Where's Allison?" Lydia asked, looking around.
"She went to try out the ability." Jacob said.
Lydia and Malia closed their eyes, reaching for the unique connection they all shared through their bonds with Jacob. They sensed Allison's location, then vanished, teleporting to join her.
Jacob turned and walked over to where Cogman was still methodically butchering the two Sker Buffalo, rolled up his sleeves, and started helping him.
To be continued… 😊